Closure guiding device



Dec. 13, 1966 l.. ANDERSON l k3,290,824

GLOSURE GUIDINGDVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @rr-ra RMEIY/ Dec. I3, 1966 l.. L. ANDERSON I.,29'0,824

CLOSURE GUIDING DVIGE Filed Feb. 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 )Jagd Ly. Qncierdovb y M, AMM/' mi dm Cjrr-rcremy/ United States Patent 3,290,824 CLSURE GUIDING DEVICE Lloyd L. Anderson, Rockford, Ill., assigner to Amerock Corporation, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 430,992 3 Claims. (Cl. 49-420) This invention relates to a closure guiding device, and more particularly to a spring loaded guide which may be mounted in a recess in the top of a patio door or the like for spring loading and guiding the door as it is moved back and forth in a frame.

The general object of :this invention is to provide a new and improved spring loaded guide that is quickly and easily mounted on a door.

A more specific object is to form and support the guide in a novel manner for locking of the guide quickly and easily on the recess and preloading the spring as an incident to the insertion of the guide in the recess.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a closure in which the subject invention may be utilized.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the guide prior to its insertion in the door recess,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the parts in moved positions,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a device 10 for guiding the upper edge of a sliding closure 11 for back and forth movement along the header 12 of a door frame 14 as the lower edge of the door slides along a track 15 on the sill 16. In this instance, the closure is a screen door comprising a rectangular sash formed by four extruded metal sash rails 18, 19 surrounding a screen panel 20, with a guide 10 mounted adjacent each upper corner 22 of the sash for engagement with a track 24 extending along the underside of the frame header. Two generally similar guides, preferably in the form of vertically adjustable rollers 25, are mounted adjacent the lower corners of the sash to ride on the lower track 15 and support the door for smooth and easy movement relative to the frame.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the upper guides 10 is recesssed into'the top wall 26 of the upper sash rail 18 and projects upwardly through an opening 28 iin the wall with a guide surface 29 disposed above the rail for engagement with the track 24. To facilitate the installation of the door in the frame, and also to maintain the guides in firm engagement with the track in service use, the guides are yieldable into the door and are spring-urged outwardly toward the track. To mount the door in the frame, the upper guides are positioned against the upper track and the door is pushed upward to depress these guides into a recess 23 far enough for the rollers 25A to clear the top of the lower track. Then the bottom of the door is swung over the lower track and lowered to seat the rollers on Vthe track. By adjusting the lower rollers relative to the door, the height of the upper edge and the amount of springloading of the upper guides may be adjusted as desired.

are formed and supported in a novel manner to be locked 7 in :the door recesses quickly and simply as an incident to the insertion of the guides in the recesses. For this purpose, each guide 10 is sized for insertion with a relatively close fit through the opening 28 in the upper edge 26 of the door and is formed with at least one abutment 30 spaced inwardly from lthe track-engaging surface 29 and facing outwardly for engagement with an opposed abutment 31 on the inside of the wall defining the opening 28, herein the upper wall 26 of the sash rail 18. Moreover, one of the abutments is yieldable laterally around the other during insertion of the guide and the abutment 30 in the recess, and then snaps back into opposed relation with the other abutment to lock the guide in the recess.

While the guide may take forms such as a sliding shoe, herein it is a roller assembly 32 on one end of an elongated at spring 33 (see FIG. 4). The spring is fastened at its other end by screws 34 to :the wall 26 at one end of the opening 28 to support the roller assembly over and in alinement with the opening. The assembly 32 comprises a roller 35 and a mounting member in the form of a U-shaped sheet metal yoke 36 secured to the spring adjacent its free end by rivets 37, with the legs 38 of the yoke projecting upwardly away from the door. These legs straddle the roller which is journaled on a rivet 39 passed through the center hole of the roller and alined holes 40 in the yoke legs. The outer peripheral surface of the roller is spaced beyond the free ends of the legs and constitutes the guide surface 29. To intert with a track comprising a rib 41 extending longitudinally of the frame header 12, the guide surface preferably is the wall of a V-shaped peripheral groove in the roller.

In this instance, the abutment 30 on the roller assembly takes the form of an ear 42 integral at its lower end with one of the legs 38 and inclined upwardly and outwardly, relative to the plane of the leg, to space the upper end 43 laterally from the leg. The ears are preferably composed of sheet metal and are resiliently flexible in the lateral direction, but relatively stiff with respect to inward forces applied to the upper edge. A similar ear 44 is shown formed on the other leg 38. Accordingly, the width of the yoke 36 at the level of the upper ends 43 of the ears is normally greater than the width of lthe opening 28.

To install the roller assembly on the door, the assembly is supported over and alined with the opening 28 by attaching the free end of the spring 33 to the wall 26. For insertion of the roller assembly into the recess 23, a mallet or other suitable tool is used to hit the roller and drive the assembly through the opening. As the roller assembly is hit, the ears contact the edges of the opening and are cammed together sufficiently to permit passage through the opening. As soon as the upper ends 43 are inside the walls 26, the ears snap back to their original position. Thus it will be seen that these ears constitute resiliently yieldable locking means on the roller assembly which yield laterally as :the assembly is pressed through the opening.

Prior to insertion of the roller assembly in the recess, the spring 33 is relaxed and serves only to support the assembly in alinement with the opening, as showin in FIG. 4. During movement of the assembly through the opening, the spring is bent inwardly and loaded, and is held in this preloaded condition by the ear ends abutting the wall 26. The preloaded spring thereafter urges the roller assembly outward through the opening causing the roller to contact the rib 41 on the frame header when :the door is in place. Supported on the spring in this manner, the roller may follow the rib even though the frame header or sash is warped orotherwise slightly out-ofline, since the spring will deflect and twist slightly to maintain contact between the roller and rib. The roller and rib, as well as the top of the door, are concealed behind a pair of flanges 45 extending downward from the frame header on each side of the door sash.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sliding closure assembly including a track and a closure having a wall generally parallel to and confronting said :track for movement along the latter during movement of the closure, said wall having an opening therein, the improvement comprising an elongated flat spring having one end fastened to said Wall on one side of said opening and a free end portion extending generally across the opening, said free end portion being stressed and bent inwardly from the plane of said wall, a roller assembly mounted on said free end portion and including a roller having a peripheral edge disposed outside said wall and in rolling engagement with said track, and opposed abutments on said roller assembly and said closure adjacent said opening for limiting outward movement of said roller, said spring urging said roller toward a predetermined extended position in which said abutments are in engagement, and said abutments permitting insertion of the roller assembly through said opening during installation.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said roller assembly includes a U-shaped yoke narrower than the width of said opening and fastened to said free end portion and rotatably supporting said roller, said opposed abutments comprising inwardly facing surfaces on said wall along the sides of said opening and ears on opposite sides of said yoke integrally joined at their inner ends to said yoke and inclined outwardly away from each other from a spacing less than said width to a spacing greater than said width, said ears being resiliently yieldable toward each other in response to forces applied to their remote sides to pass through said opening during installation.

3. The improvement defined in claim 1 in which said spring is a normally straight strip with said one end pressed against and fastened to the outside of said wall, said free end portion being bent inwardly through said opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,505,592 4/1950 Stone 16-97 X 2,877,489 3/1959 Lackinger 16-44 3,090,084 5/1963 Banner 20-19 3,120,033 2/1964 Andres 20-19 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner. 

1. IN A SLIDING CLOSURE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A TRACK AND A CLOSURE HAVING A WALL GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND CONFRONTING SAID TRACK FOR MOVEMENT ALONG THE LATTER DURING MOVEMENT OF THE CLOSURE, SAID WALL HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLAT SPRING HAVING ONE END FASTENED TO SAID WALL ON ONE SIDE OF SAID OPENING AND A FREE END PORTION EXTENDING GENERALLY ACROSS THE OPENING, SAID FREE END PORTION BEING STRESSED AND BENT INWARDLY FROM THE PLANE OF SAID WALL, A ROLLER ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID FREE END PORTION AND INCLUDING A ROLLER HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE DISPOSED OUTSIDE SAID WALL AND IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TRACK, AND OPPOSED ABUTMENTS ON SAID ROLLER ASSEMBLY AND SAID CLOSURE ADJACENT SAID OPENING FOR LIMITING OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER, SAID SPRING URGING SAID ROLLER TOWARD A PREDETERMINED EXTENDED POSITION IN WHICH SAID ABUTMENTS ARE IN ENGAGEMENT, AND SAID ABUTMENTS PERMITTING INSERTION OF THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY THROUGH SAID OPENING DURING INSTALLATION. 